St. Vincent (album)

2014 studio album by St. Vincent

St. Vincent

Standard edition cover

Studio album by

St. Vincent

Released| February 24, 2014 (2014-02-24)
Recorded| 2013
Studio| Elmwood (Dallas)
Genre|

* Art rock[1]
* noise pop[2]
* pop rock[3]

Length| 40:04
Label|

* Loma Vista
* Republic

Producer| John Congleton[4]
St. Vincent chronology
| Brass Tactics
(2013)  | St. Vincent
(2014)  | Masseduction
(2017)

|
|

Singles from  St. Vincent

1. "Birth in Reverse"
Released: December 10, 2013
2. "Digital Witness"
Released: January 6, 2014
3. "Prince Johnny"
Released: May 9, 2014
4. "Regret"
Released: August 18, 2014[5]

Deluxe edition cover

2015 Deluxe Edition

St. Vincent is the fourth studio album by American musician St. Vincent. It was released on February 24, 2014, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States, through Loma Vista Recordings and Republic Records.[6][7][8] Produced by John Congleton, it features collaborations with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings drummer Homer Steinweiss and Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith. The tracks were arranged and demoed by Annie Clark in Austin, Texas and recorded at the Elmwood studio in Dallas.[4][9]

Critically acclaimed on its release, the album won a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, making St. Vincent only the second female solo artist to win the award since its inception in 1991, when it was awarded to Sinéad O'Connor. It peaked at No. 12 in the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart at No. 21, selling nearly 30,000 copies in its first week.

## Background

[edit]

> "This is a more primary colour record than I've done in the past. It's generally a bit brighter. It was less emotionally fraught than when I was writing Strange Mercy. There's an exuberance in Love This Giant, and maybe some of that carried on into this record. It's entertainment. It's fun... I did a lot of sketching for St Vincent in GarageBand before going into the studio. The process of actually recording it was less about discovery and putting the Frankenstein's monster together, and a bit more about execution. There were a lot of things that had already been decided long before I walked into the studio. It was a different experience than Strange Mercy or Actor. Recording took about six months all in, around May 2013. John and I usually work every day and take maybe one day off every ten or twelve days."

— Annie "St. Vincent" Clark[10]

## Release

[edit]

St. Vincent was announced on December 9, 2013, and "Birth in Reverse" was released for free download.[4][7] A second single, "Digital Witness", was released on January 6, 2014.[11] An additional release of "Digital Witness", featuring "Del Rio" as a B-side, was released in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2014.

A music video directed by Chino Moya was released on January 31, 2014, for "Digital Witness".[12][13] On February 5, Clark debuted "Prince Johnny" on the radio show KCRW: Morning Becomes Eclectic. On February 9, she debuted songs at fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg's runway show for New York Fashion Week.[14] A music video directed by Willo Perron was released on December 16, 2014, for "Birth in Reverse".[15]

St. Vincent entered the US Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 12 and the UK Albums Chart at No. 21, becoming St. Vincent's highest-charting album in both countries.[16][17] The album sold nearly 30,000 copies in its first week.[18]

A deluxe edition was released on February 9, 2015, in the UK, with the album available only as a digital download in the US on February 10. It featured the previously unreleased "Bad Believer"; "Del Rio", a B-side from the "Digital Witness" single and a bonus track on the Japanese edition of St. Vincent; "Digital Witness" (DARKSIDE remix), previously released as a single; and "Pietà" and "Sparrow", originally released together on a limited edition 10" pink vinyl on November 28, 2014, for Record Store Day.[19]

## Music

[edit]

Clark described St. Vincent as "a party record you could play at a funeral."[20] The opening track, "Rattlesnake", is about an experience Clark had while walking in the desert, which she described as a "commune with nature". However, the opening line, "I followed the power lines back from the road", suggests that Clark is separating herself from a dependency on artificial or digital power.[21]

Other songs have more personal connections. "I Prefer Your Love", the sixth track, is about Clark's mother, who was briefly ill.[21] The closing track, "Severed Crossed Fingers", takes inspiration from a line in a short story by American novelist Lorrie Moore.[22] The sentence from which the title is drawn, "He thinks of severed, crossed fingers found perfectly survived in the wreckage of a local plane crash last year",[23] is used by Clark to convey the human heart’s capacity for hope, even when hope seems futile. Of the song, Clark said, "That one's all me" in an interview with Studio 360.[24] Later, in an interview with Pitchfork, she added, "I sang that in one fucking take, cried my eyes out, and the song was done".[25]

Clark described St. Vincent as "more confident. I'm extending a hand; I want to connect with people. Strange Mercy, which is a record I'm proud of, [was] definitely a very accurate record of my life at a certain time, but it was more about self-laceration, all the sort of internal struggle. St. Vincent is very extroverted."[26]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 8.6/10[27]
Metacritic| 89/100[28]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [29]
The A.V. Club| A−[1]
The Daily Telegraph| [30]
Entertainment Weekly| A−[31]
The Guardian| [32]
The Independent| [33]
NME| 8/10[34]
Pitchfork| 8.6/10[35]
Rolling Stone| [36]
Spin| 8/10[37]

The album has received widespread critical acclaim. On the review aggregate site Metacritic, it scored an average score of 89 out of 100, based on 40 independent reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[28] AnyDecentMusic? collated reviews giving the album an average score of 8.6 based on 40 reviews.[27] This score makes the record part of AnyDecentMusic?'s All-Time Top 10 albums.[38] Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis awarded the album a perfect five stars, calling it "an embarrassment of fantastic songs" and "a straightforward triumph".[32]

At Rolling Stone, Jon Dolan awarded the album four stars out of five, hailing it as "her tightest, tensest, best set of songs to date, with wry, twisty beats pushing her lovably ornery melodies toward grueling revelations" and noting that "the playful way these songs contort makes pain feel like a party."[36] Alex Denny of The Fly rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, describing it as "her most ebullient, ambitiously styled music to date".[39] NME, The Guardian, musicOMH, Entertainment Weekly, and Slant Magazine named it the best album of 2014.

### Accolades

[edit]

Publication  | Rank  | List

|
|

American Songwriter | 21  | Top 50 Albums of 2014[40]
The A.V. Club | 3  | The 20 Best Albums of 2014[41]
Consequence of Sound | 8  | Top 50 Albums of 2014[42]
Cosmopolitan | 20  | 20 Best Albums of 2014[43]
The Daily Telegraph | 16  | Best 50 Albums of 2014[44]
Entertainment Weekly | 1  | 10 Best Albums of 2014[45]
Gigwise | 1  | Gigwise's 50 Best Albums of 2014[46]
The Guardian | 1  | Best Albums of 2014[47]
Mojo | 5  | 50 Best Albums of 2014[48]
musicOMH | 1  | Top 100 Albums of 2014[49]
NME | 1  | Top 50 Albums of 2014[50]
Pitchfork | 16  | Top 50 Best Albums of 2014[51]
PopMatters | 4  | The 80 Best Albums of 2014[52]
Rolling Stone | 4  | 50 Best Albums of 2014[53]
Slant Magazine | 1  | 25 Best Albums of 2014[54]
Spin | 26  | 50 Best Albums of 2014[55]
Stereogum | 49  | The 50 Best Albums of 2014[56]
TIME | 2  | Top 10 Best Albums of 2014[57]

St. Vincent won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 57th Grammy Awards in 2015.[58]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Annie Clark.

St. Vincent – Standard editionNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Rattlesnake"| 3:34
2.| "Birth in Reverse"| 3:15
3.| "Prince Johnny"| 4:36
4.| "Huey Newton"| 4:37
5.| "Digital Witness"| 3:21
6.| "I Prefer Your Love"| 3:36
7.| "Regret"| 3:21
8.| "Bring Me Your Loves"| 3:15
9.| "Psychopath"| 3:32
10.| "Every Tear Disappears"| 3:15
11.| "Severed Crossed Fingers"| 3:42
Total length:| 40:04

St. Vincent – Japanese edition[59]No.| Title| Length

|
|

12.| "Del Rio"| 2:55
Total length:| 42:59

St. Vincent – 2015 Deluxe edition[60]No.| Title| Length

|
|

12.| "Bad Believer"| 2:58
13.| "Pieta"| 3:29
14.| "Sparrow"| 3:55
15.| "Del Rio"| 2:55
16.| "Digital Witness" (DARKSIDE remix)| 4:20
Total length:| 57:38

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the St. Vincent liner notes.[61]

Musicians

* Annie Clark – vocals, guitar
* Daniel Mintseris – synthesizer (tracks 1, 3–8, 10–15), piano (tracks 4, 7), harpsichord (track 11)
* Bobby Sparks – Minimoog (tracks 1–8, 10–15)
* Homer Steinweiss – drums (tracks 1, 3–6, 10, 13–15)
* McKenzie Smith – drums (tracks 2, 7–9, 11, 12)
* Adam Pickrell – Minimoog (track 9), keyboards (tracks 8, 9)
* Ralph Carney – horns (track 5)

Production

* John Congleton – production, recording, mixing
* Greg Calbi – mastering

Design

* Willo Perron – creative direction
* Brian Roettinger – design
* Renata Raksha – photography

|

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for St. Vincent Chart (2014)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[62] | 54
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[63] | 37
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[64] | 64
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[65] | 15
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[66] | 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[67] | 41
French Albums (SNEP)[68] | 200
Italian Albums (FIMI)[69] | 58
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[70] | 70
UK Albums (OCC)[71] | 21
US Billboard 200[72] | 12
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[73] | 3
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[74] | 4
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[75] | 2
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[76] | 2

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for St. Vincent Chart (2014)  | Position

|

US Top Rock Albums[77] | 64
US Alternative Albums (Billboard)[78] | 42

## Release history

[edit]

Release history and formats for St. Vincent Country  | Date  | Label

|
|

United Kingdom[9] | February 24, 2014  | Loma Vista/Republic
United States[9] | February 25, 2014
Japan  | February 26, 2014  | Loma Vista

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Wild, Matt (February 25, 2014). "St. Vincent completes Annie Clark's transformation into art-rock pop star". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
2. ^ "In Conversation: St Vincent". Clash. January 20, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
3. ^ "The 20 best albums of 2014". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
4. ^ a b c Phillips, Amy and Evan Minsker (December 9, 2013). "St. Vincent Announces Self-Titled Album, Shares "Birth in Reverse"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
5. ^ "St Vincent Regret 2 Track Promo CD saint". eBay.
6. ^ Danton, Eric (December 9, 2013). "St. Vincent Readies New Album for February Release". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
7. ^ a b "St. Vincent announces new album, stream "Birth In Reverse"". Consequence of Sound. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
8. ^ Dombal, Ryan. Reckless Perfection Archived March 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
9. ^ a b c McGovern, Kyle (December 9, 2013). "St. Vincent Confirms New Self-Titled Album With Groove-Warped 'Birth in Reverse'". Spin. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
10. ^ Pinnock, Tom (January 2015). "Album by Album: St Vincent". Uncut: 55.
11. ^ Battan, Carrie (January 6, 2014). "Listen: St. Vincent: 'Digital Witness'". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
12. ^ de Revere, Paul. "St. Vincent Shares Her Paranoia in 'Digital Witness' Video". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
13. ^ Hogan, Marc. "Watch St. Vincent's Gloriously Coiffed 'Digital Witness' Dystopia". SPIN. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
14. ^ Breihan, Tom (January 30, 2014). "St. Vincent to Debut Songs at Diane von Fürstenberg Runway Show". Stereogum. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
15. ^ Camp, Zoe (December 16, 2014). "St. Vincent Shares "Birth in Reverse" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
16. ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/st.-vincent/chart-history/
17. ^ "UK Top 40 Official Albums Chart 8th March 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
18. ^ "The Dream World of St. Vincent". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
19. ^ "St. Vincent Announces St. Vincent Deluxe Edition, Expands World Tour". Pitchfork. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
20. ^ Phillips, Amy; Minsker, Evan (December 9, 2013). "St. Vincent Announces Self-Titled Album, Shares "Birth in Reverse"". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
21. ^ a b Hilton, Robin; Boilen, Bob (January 8, 2014). "Ambien Dreams And Naked Desert Walks: St. Vincent On Her New Album". All Songs Considered. NPR. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
22. ^ "St. Vincent – St. Vincent". DIY. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
23. ^ Moore, Lorrie (December 22, 2010). The Collected Stories of Lorrie Moore. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-26832-0. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
24. ^ "St. Vincent Becomes St. Vincent". Studio 360. February 14, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
25. ^ Dombal, Ryan (February 17, 2014). "St Vincent: Reckless Precision". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
26. ^ Maloney, Devon (February 26, 2014). "St. Vincent Has Crafted a Magnificent Mythology on Her Own Terms". Village Voice. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
27. ^ a b "St Vincent by St Vincent reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
28. ^ a b "Reviews for St. Vincent by St. Vincent". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
29. ^ Phares, Heather. "St. Vincent – St. Vincent". AllMusic. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
30. ^ Brown, Helen (February 27, 2014). "St Vincent, album review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
31. ^ Catucci, Nick (February 21, 2014). "Albums: February 28, 2014". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
32. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (February 13, 2014). "St Vincent: St Vincent – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
33. ^ Gill, Andy (February 21, 2014). "St Vincent's new album 'St Vincent', review". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
34. ^ Sheffield, Hazel (February 21, 2014). "St Vincent – 'St Vincent'". NME. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
35. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (February 24, 2014). "St. Vincent: St. Vincent". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
36. ^ a b Dolan, Jon (February 25, 2014). "St. Vincent". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
37. ^ Hopper, Jessica (February 24, 2014). "Annie Clark Burns Down the Boys' Club on the Poised, Effortless 'St. Vincent'". Spin. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
38. ^ "All-Time Top 10 albums". AnyDecentMusic?.
39. ^ Denney, Alex (February 14, 2014). "St Vincent – 'St Vincent'". The Fly. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
40. ^ "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2014". American Songwriter. November 24, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
41. ^ "The A.V. Club 20 Best Albums of 2014". The A.V. Club. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
42. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2014". Consequence of Sound. December 12, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
43. ^ "Cosmo's 20 Best Albums of 2014". Cosmopolitan. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
44. ^ "Best 50 Albums of 2014". The Telegraph. November 27, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
45. ^ "Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Albums of 2014". Entertainment Weekly. December 3, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
46. ^ "Gigwise's 50 Best Albums of 2014". Gigwise. December 3, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
47. ^ "Guardian Best Albums of 2014". The Guardian. November 26, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
48. ^ "MOJO's 50 Best Albums of 2014: The Final Score". Mojo. November 21, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
49. ^ "musicOMH's Top 100 Albums of 2014". musicOMH. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
50. ^ "NME's Top 50 Albums of 2014". NME. November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
51. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Pitchfork. December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
52. ^ "The 80 Best Albums of 2014". PopMatters. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
53. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2014". Rolling Stone. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
54. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2014". Slant Magazine. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
55. ^ "Spin's 50 Best Albums of 2014". Spin. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
56. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2014". Stereogum. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
57. ^ "TIME's Top 10 Best Albums of 2014". TIME. December 3, 2014. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
58. ^ Clark, Annie (February 8, 2015). "St. Vincent Talks Best Alternative Music Album Grammy Win". Pitchfork (Interview). Interviewed by Jeremy Gordon. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
59. ^ "PV of "Digital Witness" the public of new St. Vincent from "St. Vincent"". Retrieved February 1, 2014.
60. ^ "St. Vincent's 2014 self-titled album given deluxe re-release". DIY. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
61. ^ St. Vincent (CD booklet). St. Vincent. Loma Vista Recordings. 2014.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
62. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 3 March 2014" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1253). Australian Recording Industry Association. March 3, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
63. ^ "Ultratop.be – St. Vincent – St. Vincent" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
64. ^ "Ultratop.be – St. Vincent – St. Vincent" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
65. ^ "St. Vincent Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
66. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – St. Vincent – St. Vincent". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
67. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – St. Vincent – St. Vincent" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
68. ^ "Lescharts.com – St. Vincent – St. Vincent". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
69. ^ "Italiancharts.com – St. Vincent – St. Vincent". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
70. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – St. Vincent – St. Vincent". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
71. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
72. ^ "St Vincent Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
73. ^ "St Vincent Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
74. ^ "St Vincent Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
75. ^ "St Vincent Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
76. ^ "St Vincent Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
77. ^ "Top Rock Albums: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
78. ^ "Alternative Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved January 16, 2015. (subscription required)

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* St. Vincent at AllMusic

* v
* t
* e

St. Vincent

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Marry Me
* Actor
* Strange Mercy
* Love This Giant (with David Byrne)
* St. Vincent
* Masseduction
* Daddy's Home
* All Born Screaming

Remix albums|

* MassEducation
* Nina Kraviz Presents Masseduction Rewired
* Todos Nacen Gritando

Soundtrack albums|

* The Nowhere Inn

EPs|

* Ratsliveonnoevilstar
* Paris Is Burning
* 4AD Session
* Brass Tactics (with David Byrne)

Singles|

* "Actor Out of Work"
* "Birth in Reverse"
* "Digital Witness"
* "Teenage Talk"
* "Under Neon Lights"
* "New York"
* "Los Ageless"
* "Pay Your Way in Pain"
* "Broken Man"

Tours|

* Actor Tour
* Love This Giant Tour
* Fear the Future Tour
* I Am a Lot Like You! Tour

Films|

* XX
* The Nowhere Inn

* v
* t
* e

Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album

1990s|

* I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got — Sinéad O'Connor (1991)
* Out of Time — R.E.M. (1992)
* Bone Machine — Tom Waits (1993)
* Zooropa — U2 (1994)
* Dookie — Green Day (1995)
* MTV Unplugged in New York — Nirvana (1996)
* Odelay — Beck (1997)
* OK Computer — Radiohead (1998)
* Hello Nasty — Beastie Boys (1999)

2000s|

* Mutations — Beck (2000)
* Kid A — Radiohead (2001)
* Parachutes — Coldplay (2002)
* A Rush of Blood to the Head — Coldplay (2003)
* Elephant — The White Stripes (2004)
* A Ghost Is Born — Wilco (2005)
* Get Behind Me Satan — The White Stripes (2006)
* St. Elsewhere — Gnarls Barkley (2007)
* Icky Thump — The White Stripes (2008)
* In Rainbows — Radiohead (2009)

2010s|

* Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix — Phoenix (2010)
* Brothers — The Black Keys (2011)
* Bon Iver — Bon Iver (2012)
* Making Mirrors — Gotye (2013)
* Modern Vampires of the City — Vampire Weekend (2014)
* St. Vincent — St. Vincent (2015)
* Sound & Color — Alabama Shakes (2016)
* Blackstar — David Bowie (2017)
* Sleep Well Beast — The National (2018)
* Colors — Beck (2019)

2020s|

* Father of the Bride — Vampire Weekend (2020)
* Fetch the Bolt Cutters — Fiona Apple (2021)
* Daddy's Home – St. Vincent (2022)
* Wet Leg – Wet Leg (2023)
* The Record – Boygenius (2024)
* All Born Screaming – St. Vincent (2025)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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